Life Behind the Walls
by PlatinumMagic
Summary: A collection of short stories from behind the walls of Homeland and Reservation following some of our favourite characters. Warning: Contains Spoilers!
1. Sick Days

Welcome to Life Behind the Walls!

This is a nifty little collection of circumstances that I wondered how the NS would deal with. Each story can be read and enjoyed without having to read the others - although I hope you'll enjoy them all. I do warn however that they were written after having read all the books to date so if you haven't read that far you may find some spoilers amongst these pages. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the New Species series or any of it's characters. They are all products of the Lovely Laurann Dohner and her boundless imagination. I just borrow them from time to time to do naughty things with. :p

Enjoy!

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**Sick Days**

It all started with a sniffle.

Valiant's head whipped around and he stared at Tammy's snuggled form in the bed. She was barely awake, having partially awoke when he had left the bed only moments ago. He crept on silent feet to the edge of the bed and look down at his Tammy carefully.

Her nose was red and her slightly parted lips dry, her hair sticking to her damp forehead. He crouched down beside her and sniffed delicately, not wanting to wake her. Her scent seemed stronger and when he reached to brush her hair back he was shocked at the heat radiating from her skin.

Valiant's eyes narrowed. Something was definitely wrong with his mate. "Tammy?" He tried to keep the growl out of his voice but his worry plagued him.

"Hmmm..." Tammy murmured, blue eyes fluttering open. "What's wrong?"

And there is was again. She sniffled.

Valiant growled.

"You're ill." He resolved, staring into her clouded eyes.

Tammy smiled at him softly, knowing the growl in his tone was because he worried about her. "It's just a cold. I'm just going to stay in bed and rest for a bit and it'll go away." She patted his hand. "Don't worry."

Valiant eyed her carefully before slowly nodding.

Tammy yawned and pulled the blankets up around her chin, curling around her pillow and falling back to sleep.

Valiant watched her for a few long moments, worry eating at him. Perhaps he shouldn't have taken her to the river yesterday. Perhaps he shouldn't have convinced her to let him strip her and taste her among the wildflowers that grew along the bank. He held back a snarl, not wishing to wake his mate.

He got to his feet and slipped from the room. He padded barefoot downstairs and went straight to the phone. He punched in the extension that would connect him to Doc Trisha at Medical. The phone rang once and Paul answered. He asked for Trisha only to be told she wasn't in currently. Paul asked if he could help and Valiant hung up. He wouldn't trust his Tammy to some unknown male. He dialed the number for Slade's residence. The phone rang three times before Slade answered, a growled "What?" The only greeting.

"I need to speak to Trisha."

"She's sleeping." Slade grumbled.

"Wake her."

"Valiant, what is this about? Trisha worked late last night at medical. She needs her sleep."

"My mate is ill." Valiant confessed, feeling like he had failed Tammy.

"Ill?" Slade's voice sharpened. "What's wrong? Have you called medical?"

"I'm calling Doc Trisha." Valiant pointed out.

Slade snarled. "Fine. One minute."

Valiant heard soft words as Slade roused his mate. The next voice that came across the line was Trisha's, sounding sleep roughened but serious. "Valiant? Slade says Tammy is ill. What happened?"

His eyes closed as he said harshly. "She sniffles."

"Sniffles?" Trisha sounded like she wasn't sure she had heard right.

"Yes. Her skin is hot and she sniffles."

There was silence on the other end for a solid minute.

"Valiant, it sounds like she probably has a cold."

"A cold?" He wasn't sure what that was but it didn't sound comfortable. His Tammy didn't like being cold.

"Yes. A cold is when we get the sniffles, maybe a cough. We sneeze and sometimes get a fever. It usually lasts a few days but it's not serious and it will go away in time. Just let her rest and I'll get medical to send some medicine over to make her more comfortable."

"Thank you, Trisha." Valiant hung up and started pacing. He was still pacing twenty minutes later when a Jeep pulled up outside his house. He stepped out on the porch into the predawn light and headed for the fenced edge of his yard.

Slash climbed out of the Jeep and came forward, a brown paper bag in his hand. "Doc Trisha said you needed cold medication and she had them add in a few extras. There's Kleenex, a thermometer and some sort of candy your mate is supposed to eat if she gets a sore throat. Trisha said she'd get the cafeteria to send over meals for her and that she'd be by later."

Valiant gathered the bag up, nodded his thanks, and hurried back to his mate. He was a male on a mission.

x x x

Trisha entered Valiant's yard with Slade at her side. He had seemed surprised when the feline Species hadn't met them at the front gate which was his usual way. Valiant was pretty touchy about his territory and doubly so now that his mate and son were on it.

"Tammy must be seriously ill if Valiant is too distracted to guard his territory himself." Slade commented, amazed. They had run into Leo a little ways away and the male had seemed surprise that Valiant had given him orders to keep an extra eye out for intruders.

They took the steps together and Trisha reached out to knock on the door. A great pounding noise thunder through the house before she could touch it and the door jerked open, a stressed looking Valiant revealed.

Trisha jerked back, bumping into Slade, who wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her into his side, emitting a growl.

"She's upstairs." Valiant stepped back and gestured them in. He turned without another word and stormed back up the stairs.

Trisha looked up at her mate and shared a confused look before hesitantly following the large Species inside. They past two Species females in the living room who were playing with Valiant and Tammy's son, Noble, on the floor. She waved at the child and he grinned back, about to say something when a growled, "Hurry up.", came from upstairs.

The couple followed orders.

Trisha stopped dead when she reached the door of the bedroom, staring at the spectacle before her.

Little Tammy was buried under almost a dozen blankets, pillows stacked up behind her back. There was a box of Kleenex, a pile of magazines and two remotes on the bed beside her. The television had been hauled upstairs and was on low volume across the room. Three glasses containing various drinks and a covered tray of food were at her elbow on the nightstand and Valiant himself sat at the edge of the arm chair in the corner, watching and at the ready to take care of his mate's slightest want.

"Hey Trisha!" Tammy said with a smile and follow up sniffle, giving her already red nose a swipe with a tissue.

Out of the corner of her eye, Trisha caught Valiant twitch and frown, golden eyes narrowing.

"Hello Tammy, I see your doing well."

"She is not well." Valiant snarled, face tense.

Tammy shot him a look and sighed. "I'm fine, just a bit of a cold. As you can see, I'm relaxing. As decreed." Tammy smirked.

Trisha held back a laugh, not wanting to insult Valiant for his over the top care of his ill mate. "I'm glad to see your well taken care of." She went forward to sit on the bed beside Tammy and dropped her medical bag at her feet. "Have you been running a temperature?"

Tammy shook her head. "I was a little chilled when I woke up but..." She gestured at the mess of bedding around her with a grin, blue eyes twinkling. "That's no longer an issue. I think Valiant raided the nearby residents' homes for extra blankets. I know we don't have this many in the house."

Trisha laughed. "Well, it's nice to hear your recovery has community support. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to get their blankets back. Now, how are you feeling? Sinus headache? Were you able to eat?"

Her patient leaned back into the mass of pillows and almost disappeared. "Yeah, the soup was great and the medicine seemed to take care of the slight headache. Not to mention stopped me from sneezing. I think the first one nearly made Valiant jump out of his skin."

Trisha smirked. "All right, is there anything you want or need? I'll make sure to send over some more cold medicine to help you sleep tonight."

"Uh well," Tammy blushed and glanced over Trisha's shoulder at Valiant who was softly talking to Slade in the corner before lowering her voice. "Could you perhaps tell Valiant that I am medically cleared to walk to the bathroom on my own? He's insisted on carrying me, and while I love him and know he's just worried, I can walk just fine."

Trisha grinned. "I'll make sure to let him know." She patted what she thought was Tammy's knee under all the blankets and stood, turning to collect her mate and give Valiant her medical opinion about colds and walking.

x x x

Late that night, Slade jolted awake beside Trisha. She had rolled slightly away from him, hugging the edge of their bed and he automatically snaked an arm out to draw her back against his chest. He snuggled her in tight and buried his nose in her blonde hair, breathing in deep.

Relaxed now, he wondered what the odd noise was that had woke him. He listened carefully. He could hear Forest's soft breaths from the next room assuring him his son still slept. Nothing outside moved, no animals or creaking branches. The house and it's surroundings seemed settled.

With a contented sigh, Slade curled himself around his Trisha tightly and tried to get back to sleep. He was almost there when he heard a very worrisome sound.

He flashed back to his conversation with Valiant, who had explained how helpless he felt when his Tammy was sick. He had done everything in his power to help her but there was no way to fight something that he couldn't see.

Slade propped himself up on an elbow and leaned over Trisha, waiting with a mix of unease and hope he had misheard.

Everything was silent for a long while.

Then Trisha sniffled.

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Hope you enjoyed this little snippet! If you have any thing you'd like to see how the NS deal with I'm always looking for inspiration.


	2. Secret Surprise

Thank you for the lovely reviews and ideas! I always appreciate knowing someone is enjoying my writing! Hope you all enjoy the next installment of Life Behind the Walls. This one features Fury and Ellie and is a little more romance centric. Enjoy!

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**Secret Surprise**

Fury waited along the wall, watching the other NSO officers check the vehicles of incoming goods for bombs and such. It was a tedious task but sadly necessary. The grocery delivery truck they were inspecting was given the go ahead and it proceeded in to the drop off area to unload it's supplies. Two trucks back, the cube van that carrier their daily mail finally rolled into sight.

A tingle of anticipation ran down Fury's spine. He'd been tracking the parcel for the last week as it traveled across the country to reach Homeland and could hardly wait to get his hands on it.

Preferably before one of the other NSO officers did. Fury had absolutely no desire to try to explain what the box contained.

Two weeks ago, Ellie had laughingly suggested that they should probably pick up some proper cuffs while watching Fury try to cut the silk tie from her wrists with children's safety scissors. Evidently, Salvation had decided to take the regular scissors out to cut flowers for his mom and they never did come back. So, in hopes of never having to waste fifteen minutes to get his mate out of a tie that had tightened a little too much, Fury had gone online to order a set of cuffs.

He had checked out multiple websites looking for the perfect thing. Instead, he'd found himself stunned by the amount of sexual tools and devices the humans had come up with. He couldn't figure out why they would need so many to save his life. Was human mating so unexciting that they needed so many items to make it passable?

Disgusted with the websites dealing in sex toys and whatever BDSM was, he managed to find a website for a man who worked with leather. With a few quick selections, Fury had ordered two sets of cuffs with simple buckles.

No more safety scissors for this male!

So Fury waited for his parcel, hoping to get his hands on it before another officer opened it to be examined for dangerous items. He couldn't wait to check out his newest purchase and even better, couldn't wait to show Ellie when she got home from teaching her cooking class.

The mail truck rolled up and began to unload, Species moving amongst the large sacks of incoming letters and parcels. Fury stepped away from the wall he'd been propping up and came forward to walk among the boxes being set to the side. He snooped until he came across a small box with To: Fury North on it. He scooped it up just as Flame walked past him.

"Hey Fury, what's going on?" Flame smiled as he tossed a bag of letters into the pile to be checked over. The feline Species glanced down at the box Fury held and grinned. "Order something special?"

Fury grimaced and shook his head. "No." He stepped back a bit, ready to make a hasty retreat.

"We should probably check that box in case it contains something dangerous. You never know what's been tampered with." Flame informed him helpfully, reaching toward the box. "I can do it now if you'd like to take it with you."

"No!" Fury yanked the box back out of the feline's reach and tucked it behind his back.

Flame stared at him, eyes widened in surprise. "Is there a reason you're trying to hide that package, Fury?" He lowered his voice and asked.

Fury glanced around, checking to make sure the other Species were far enough to away to not hear, before leaning forward to close some of the distance between them. "I ordered a surprise for Ellie." He whispered.

Flame grinned. "She will like that. Just let me check it and I won't hold you up any longer. You must be excited to give it to your mate."

Fury resisted rolling his eyes. Flame had no idea how accurate that last statement was. He was half hard just thinking of seeing Ellie's small wrists in the leather cuffs. "You don't understand. The gift is of a personal nature and I would prefer everyone here not know what it is."

Flame tilted his head and studied him carefully. After a moment, the male nodded. "Let's go over here." He gestured to a door beside the break room with a large 'washroom' label on it.

Fury sighed and followed the redheaded Species.

"This will give us privacy." Flame opened the door and locked it once Fury was inside with him. "I apologize but I can't let a package in without checking it. You know I have to sign off on the paperwork and I don't want to be dishonest. At least in here, no one will see what you ordered."

Fury ground his molars together. "Fine. But this does not leave this room. I don't want to have to explain my purchase to all the others."

Flame nodded and put out his hand, waiting the few seconds it took for Fury to finally relinquish his parcel. Once it was in his hands, he pulled the xacto knife from his belt and sliced open the seal. He looked up and tried to assure Fury. " I promise I will not tell any one else what you purchased to share with your mate."

Fury gave a tight nod and watched the other man open the package.

A few white packing peanuts escaped and settled on the floor. Flame dug through them and removed a clear plastic wrapped package. He brought the components closer to his nose, sniffed the box and then the bundle. Fury couldn't help but notice the male's eyes widen as he caught sight of the black leather and silver buckles through the clear plastic wrap.

Flame dumped the packing peanuts in the garbage can, tucked the cuffs back in their box and closed the top. With care, he handed the parcel back to Fury. "All clear. Thank you, Fury."

Fury grumbled an affirmative and turned to leave, reaching for the door lock.

"Does she like to be restrained by you?" Flame's inquiry was soft and wondering.

Fury stilled and looked down at the box he held. The contents were something he never thought he would ever consider sexy given his history with Mercile. With a deep breath he answered the other Species. "She does. It fulfills a need inside me to bind her. She must depend upon me to keep her safe when she is bound and I ... Well, I find it effects me greatly to have her completely submissive to me."

A small smile curved Flame's lips. "Thank you for telling me. I will have to remember that."

Fury recalled the rumor that Flame carried secret affections for Lauren's friend, Amanda. He had never acted on those feelings but perhaps he was considering it. Fury wanted to give him the advice he wished someone had given him before he stumbled through trying to mate a human.

"Human women are different from our females. Some of them love our dominance and are aroused by a show of it. If the woman you are interested in would like to be bound by you, I suggest you let someone you are comfortable with know the secret. Ellie and I, we had some misunderstandings with the others at first. It was embarrassing for her and frustrating for me. Should you consider wanting to try bondage with a willing female, do some research or you are welcome to ask me. I would not wish you to repeat my mistakes."

Flame smiled sadly and nodded. "Thank you for the offer but I have no human female."

Fury hesitated but held his tongue. It was not his place to tell the other male how to live. With a grateful nod, he unlocked the door and slipped out of the security area with as little discussion as possible.

He raced home in his cart and checked the clock. Ellie should be home from the class she was teaching at the female dorm in twenty minutes. He tore into their bedroom, knocked the blankets off and sorted the pillows out so his Ellie would be comfortable when he spread her out across the sheets.

Fury grabbed the box, pulling out the bundled cuffs and pitching the rest into the garbage. He tore open the plastic and dumped the cuffs into his hand.

The black leather was about an inch wide, softened and bearing silver buckles and a big ring a length of chain could be connected to. The inside was layered with soft black fur so it would not chafe his mate's delicate wrists. He growled in arousal, his erection pressing against the fly of his jeans. He didn't have long to wait now.

He heard a cart pull up and Ellie say goodbye to Breeze before her footsteps padded up the front walk. Fury got to his feet and stepped into the bedroom doorway.

x x x

Ellie came in the house and kicked the door shut behind her. She dumped her bag on the hall table and wandered farther into the house. Her brow crinkled as she made it to the living room without being jumped on by her young son. Salvation was always so excited when she got home, he usually met her right inside the door. Hmmm, maybe Fury had taken Salvation out?

"Ellie..." Fury's voice poured over her like warm chocolate causing a shiver to trail down her spine. She turned to see him standing in the bedroom doorway.

Her handsome mate leaned his shoulder against the door jam, arms and ankles crossed in a semblance of relaxation. Her eyes drew down until she saw the bulge straining at his jeans. Yep, definitely faking the relaxed look. Fury was seriously worked up.

"Where..." Her voice dried up as she watched him, his eyes dark with desire. "Where is Sal?"

"Darkness and Kat are watching him for the evening. They'll bring him back later." Fury assured her, eyes dropping to her breasts as her breath began to pant.

"Oh." Ellie responded, her stomach fluttering in excitement.

"Come here, Ellie." Fury ordered, voice a deep rumble.

She took five shaky steps forward until she stood in front of him, looking up at his handsome face.

A dangerous smile spread across his lush lips. "Close your eyes, Ellie."

She followed his orders and felt his hands come up, encircling her wrists. His warm, strong fingers stroked up her arms, pushing the sleeves of her purple v-neck up to her elbows. Something soft slid against her wrists one at a time and embraced them.

"Open your eyes." Fury growled into her hair, his breath brushing against her ear. "Take a look at your surprise."

Ellie looked down and visibly shuddered in unexpected bliss. Black leather cuffs clasped her wrists, the fur lining pressing luxuriously against her bare skin. What the look of them against her skin did to her mental stability was overwhelming. "Oh god, Fury..." She felt her body warm and looked up into his eyes, knowing desire and love were plain on her face.

Fury growled and clasped her cuffed wrists, drawing her hands to his chest and guiding her backward into their bedroom. "Come with me, sweetness. Let's break those cuffs in."

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Hope you enjoyed that one! There are plenty more to come. As always reviews are food for writers and greatly appreciated! And if there is something you'd like to see how the NSO deals with I'm always looking for inspiration. :)


	3. Happy Beginning

This one popped into my head so I had to write it. I'll probably be doing atleast one for every couple and some random ones as well. I have a few more ideas to get down in writing and want to thank those of you suggested ideas too! This is a fun little venture for me and I so hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it!

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**Happy Ending**

Shadow dropped a stack of unassembled cardboard boxes on the small table in Beauty's kitchen before following the soft humming toward his mate. Beauty stood with her back to him by her bed, folding her clothes into the bag that had carried all of his belongings since he'd joined the task force. His stuff was already in their new house so he had given her the bag to help transport hers.

Shadow paused in the door, watching his beautiful mate hum to herself as she folded a T-shirt and tucked it into the bag. She was thrilled to finally be moving in to their new house both because it was the true start of their mated life and also because they would have privacy. Shadow smirked, remembering how Beauty had blushed hotly when Rusty had commented that with the newly mated couple out of the women's dorms the females could finally get a good night's sleep.

He was still smiling to himself as Beauty zipped up the bag and turned to him, jumping with a start.

"Darn! You snuck up on me again!" Beauty chided, hand rising to press over her pounding heart.

Shadow chuckled and stepped forward, taking her hips in his hands and drawing her into his body. He kissed the top of her head and nuzzled her brown hair with his nose. "Sorry, love. I brought the boxes you needed."

"Thank you, Shadow." She smiled at his loving tone and tucked her face into his chest for a moment. "I'm surprised I have so much stuff. I feel like I haven't been free long enough to have gathered it all."

Shadow smiled into her hair. Her room had been her sanctuary before they had gotten mated so she had spent a lot of time in it. The room had definitely looked lived in when he had first seen it, books and little sentimentals spread throughout the space, but recently she had added even more. Beauty had taken to purchasing things that she thought he would enjoy in their space. Wrath had called it 'nesting' when Shadow had mentioned it to him. "That's okay. We'll take our time and pack up everything. We don't have to move it all today."

Beauty sighed and snuggled into his hold. "I know but I really want to get all moved in. I can't wait for us to be settled in our new house." She looked up at him slyly, a sexy smile curving her lips. "I can't wait to make love in our new bedroom."

Shadow growled and slipped his hands to her butt to pull her up to his lips for a kiss. Her arms snaked around his neck and fingers buried in the short blond hair at the nape of his neck. Since they'd started, he'd become addicted to kissing her.

Beauty nibbled at his bottom lip and pulled back a bit, leaning her forehead against his. "We really need to finish packing. Wrath and Lauren will be arriving soon to help us move it all."

Shadow couldn't hold back a grumble of frustration that made Beauty grin but he did ease her back down to the floor, waiting until he was sure she was steady before he let her go. "All right. Let's get back to it. Just hurry. I can't wait long."

She giggled as she turned to leave the room and gather some more boxes.

Shadow looked around the room that he'd been sharing with Beauty for the last three weeks. They should have moved out earlier but there had been a problem with the plumbing in the new house and Shadow had refused to move his mate in until it was fixed. Now it was all fixed and ready for them.

He could hear the pull of packing tape as Beauty folded the boxes into usefulness in the kitchen and figured he should make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Shadow checked the chest of drawers before opening the closet to look inside. The hangers were empty on the rod and the shelf above was cleared as well. The stepstool was in the closet, proving that Beauty had needed it to get things off the top shelf. Shadow loved that she was so petite but sometimes it drove her nuts that she had so much trouble reaching things that were 'Species height' as she called it.

He picked the stool up to move it out into the main room when he noticed a box tucked under the bottom shelf. It was half hidden in the dim light of the closet but looked well worn, as if she went through it often. Tugging it out along with the stool, he dropped the box on the bed. There was no label or writing on it. Curiosity got the best of him and he opened the top which had been folded together.

The box was filled to the brim with books. Every one had the image of a couple tangled together or the bare flesh of a man splashed across the cover. With titles like Lick, Pleasure of a Dark Prince and Propositioning Mr. Raine, Shadow was pretty sure these were the romance novels Beauty liked to read. He hadn't seen them around and realized that she must have been hiding them. Although why he couldn't figure out.

He sat down on the bed and pulled one from the box, opening it to the middle and starting to read. Moments later he had to admit even his cheeks were heating up. The sexual situation he had begun reading was intense, giving him ideas for things he would like to try with Beauty later.

"Shadow, what are you... Oh, no!" Beauty's voice rang out in startlement. A frown graced her face and she groaned. "What are you reading?"

Shadow looked up guiltily and couldn't help the slow smile that stretched his lips. "You told me I should read more. I'm just following your advice."

"Yes but... Those are my..." She stuttered in embarrassment.

"It's very interesting."

"It's what?" Beauty stared at him, seemingly surprised by his statement.

"It's interesting." Shadow closed the book and slipped it back in the box. "Were you hiding these?"

Beauty nodded slowly, tucking a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear. "I didn't want the other women to see them. They don't really believe in romance and I was afraid they would make fun of me if they saw them."

Shadow smiled and stretched out a hand to her. "Come here, love."

x x x

Beauty stepped forward, putting her hand in his and letting him draw her onto his lap. Her butt shifted as she felt the hardness of his arousal under her and it made him growl softly.

"You don't have to hide anything from me. We're mates. Nothing is secret anymore." He kissed her temple. "We will put these in the big bookshelf in the living room of our new home. They don't need to be hidden anymore. In fact, I would like you to show me your favourites so I can read some of them."

"Really?" Beauty looked up at him in amazement.

"Really. I want to know what you like to read and I believe those books might give us some ideas for things we could try ourselves."

Beauty's face broke into a smile and her eyes teared up a bit as she threw her arms around his neck and peppered his cheek with kisses. "Oh, Shadow! I couldn't have asked for a better mate!"

Shadow's chest warmed with his mate's praise and he drew her into a lengthy kiss. He couldn't have asked for a better mate either.

Lauren laughed as she got out of the jeep and grinned at her mate. "The look on Fury's face when he met the new puppy. Tiger definitely got even!"

Wrath let out a rumbling chuckle and took his mate's hand to lead her into the women's dorm. "He certainly didn't take it well when you informed him the puppy was named Fury. I have a feeling that he's going to get Tiger back for that little stunt."

Lauren grinned and said hello when Sunshine let them in to the dorm. Waving at the females watching a movie in the common room, they took the elevator up to the third floor and went down the hall to the room Beauty and Shadow were staying in.

"It'll be so nice to have them living next door. Beauty is so sweet and she promised to show me how to cook some of the recipes that Ellie taught her." Lauren knocked on the door that stood slightly ajar and smiled at her mate. "I'm so glad Shadow found someone so nice." Lauren figured they must have their hands full or had gone for more boxes so she pushed into the room.

Wrath smiled and nodded, following Lauren in and watching her butt in the tight jeans she had put on before they had left the house a little bit ago. "Yes, I know Shadow was worried at first but he has definitely become a good mate to his Beauty."

They had barely made it five steps in when Lauren froze and Wrath stopped dead right behind her.

Through the bedroom door they could see Shadow had Beauty sprawled across his chest, his big hands on her hips as they moved together. A soft growl followed a whine of pleasure. They were still clothed but it didn't look like it would be long before that changed. Beside the bed, a box of spilled romance novels covered the floor.

Wrath settled his hands on Lauren's hips and drew her quietly back into the hallway. He shut the door as quietly as possible and turned to his mate. Reaching out, he used a finger to close her mouth. "I think it might be a while before they are ready to go. Why don't we go downstairs and join the females watching the movie?"

Lauren couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up. "God, are we that bad?"

Wrath growled and pulled her in for a kiss as they enter the elevator. "Considering I had you naked on the kitchen table an hour ago, I would say yes."

"Ah, the joys of the newly mated!" Lauren giggled and let Wrath push her up against the glass wall of the elevator.


	4. Animal Attraction

Here's a little short one. Hope you like it and thank you all for your reviews!

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Animal Attraction

Lauren giggled as Wrath caught her ankles and dragged her down the bed toward him. He was on his knees at the end of their big bed, his face drawn in predatory desire. She had known the sexy little silk nightie would rev him up and she had wanted to surprise him. It had just arrived in the mail today and she loved it already.

Obviously Wrath liked it too.

She had met him just inside the door when he came home from sparring with Shadow. He had taken one look at her and growled before taking her into his arms and storming up the stairs to their room. Her body had bounced when he had tossed her on the mattress and then his hard body had covered hers.

She laced her fingers in his hair as he set to pleasuring her and groan. He knew her body far too well and it was only moments before her back was arching and she was crying out his name.

By the time she was able to gather her wits he was over her, full lips kissing up her throat. He growled as she raked her nails up his back under his black T-shirt.

"Lauren..." He groaned, his voice harsh with want. "I need to have you."

She smiled at him and gave a groan of need when he pulled back enough to flip her onto her stomach. Her fingers tangled with the sheets and his arm slipped under her hips to pull her to her knees.

She moaned as he closed in and her head jerked back as his fangs dug gently into her shoulder. A reminder that he was in control of this. Her eyes flew open and she shuddered under him.

Two sets of eyes stared unblinkingly back at her.

She jerked back, pushing her body roughly back into Wrath's strong embrace and squeaking in surprise.

In an instant, Wrath had swung her behind him and faced the danger himself.

A big fluffy orange cat sat, tail slowly flicking back and forth, on the floor behind an energetic black and white puppy. Both of them stared at the spectacle the couple made with intense interest.

Lauren giggled against Wrath's broad back as a disgruntled rumble vibrated in his chest. She burst into full blown laughter when he climbed off the bed and chased the pets out, growling and cursing their interruption.

She laid on the big mattress amongst the tangled sheets and grinned at her good fortune. How lucky was she?

XXX

Breeze and Beauty sat in the living room and stared at Wrath's human mate and tried to figure out what she was talking about.

"Isn't a voyeur someone who watches people who don't know they are being watched?" Breeze asked, wondering if she was missing something.

"Yeah." Lauren grinned. "They love to watch us."

Beauty blinked and shot a glance at Breeze. "Fury and Tiger?"

Lauren nodded, laughing. "They are such perverts."

Beauty leaned forward and dropped her voice to a careful murmur. "Do their mates know?"

Lauren stared at her friends for a solid moment before she clutched her stomach and howled in laughter.

On the sofa, a big orange cat opened one eye and looked at his owner curiously. His arch nemesis, Fury, lounged belly up at Breeze's feet, white paws shifting with his puppy dreams. The primate woman stroked his furred and scratched under the blue collar around his neck with a tag that read 'Tiger'. He shifted, confident that all was well and buried his nose into his paws.

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Hope you liked that little fluffy fic. I'm working on ones for Justice/Jessie, Tiger/Zandy and one with a bunch of the male Species. I plan on doing one for every couple at the very least so expect many more stories yet to come! Enjoy and review if you like it!


	5. All That Glitters

Hello again! Glad you're all enjoying these! Here's another little snippet of the NS. I lov eto see them so out of their element and Bestial is just so gruff he's fun to mess with. Hope you guys like it!

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**All That Glitters **

Bestial tugged at what he was told was a 'French cuff' on his shirt and wished he could have agreed to go to one of the more casual events. The suit may have been tailored to fit his large shoulders and tall stature but he still felt like a fool. He couldn't help thinking he looked more like the mobsters he'd seen in movies than a civilized gentleman. At least Jaded had the whole feline grace thing going for him.

Deciding there wasn't anything to be done for it, Bestial stared down at the glass goblet that the server had offered him and narrowed his eyes at the bubbling liquid it held. "What is this?" He growled softly.

Beside him Jaded grinned. "It's champagne. The humans like to drink it when they toast something."

Bestial looked around at the elegant reception and it's mingling crowds. "Really? I would have thought humans would want something fancier than toast at an event like this."

Jaded couldn't help but laugh. "They don't serve toast here. A toast is when they lift their glasses and cheer something. It's a strange ritual."

A waiter walked by with a big plate of little triangular pastries and Bestial's stomach growled. He really should have eaten before they left Reservation. Bestial snagged one of the pastries and popped it in his mouth. He chewed once and stopped when the taste reached his tongue.

Jaded stared at him expectantly, a mischievous smirk on his face.

He chewed a few more times and forced himself to swallow. He had expected the pastry to be sweet but it had been...vegetably. He glared at the male beside him. "You should have warned me. What was that?"

"I can't remember what it's called exactly but it's a Greek recipe. Spinach, onions, egg and cheese. It's not that bad." Jaded informed him.

"There's no meat in it. I am not a rabbit Species, I'm a canine." He complained.

Jaded chuckled. "Yeah, I don't think they really thought about that. Here, try this one." Jaded plucked two battered balls with toothpicks sticking out of them off another server's tray and held one out to Bestial. "This one has crab in it. No rabbit food."

Bestial popped it in his mouth and chewed. "Not bad. Now if I can only convince that waiter to leave that plate of them with me I'll be in a better mood."

Tiger came up to them, an angry scowl on his face. "My mood will only improve when we get to go home."

Bestial cocked his head as he looked over his disgruntled friend. The male had pulled his tie off and shoved it in his trouser pocket and his hair was disheveled as if he'd been running his hands through it. "Did you eat the pastry too?"

Tiger looked at him blankly. "Huh?"

Jaded grinned. "Long story. What's wrong?"

"The wife of one of the donors is stalking me. She's grabbed my ass three times already and is taking every chance she can to get near me. It's taking everything I have not to toss her off me." Tiger explained, burying a hand in his hair. "Her scent is making me sick."

Jaded grabbed two little crackers with some sort of meat and cheese mix on them and handed one to Bestial. "Stay with us. We'll run interference until you can get home to Zandy."

Bestial ate the cracker in one bite and stared at his glass. He sniffed the champagne and his nose twitched with distaste. This was torture. Food that looked tasty held any number of unappetizing surprises and the only drink to be found was this nose-burning, bubbling concoction. Even Mercile, bastards that they were, provided them with water.

"Thanks. I don't think I can take much more. I know Justice asked me to be here but I really hate these things." Tiger sighed. "I just want to be home with my mate."

"It's only a couple more hours." Jaded assured Tiger.

Bestial took a testing sip of champagne and didn't like the way it tingled on his tongue. He turned and upended the drink into the potted plant behind them. "Maybe next time you should bring your mate." He offered thoughtfully.

He turned back around to see the other two males staring at him.

"What?" Bestial growled, not liking the way they both looked at him as if he had done something wrong.

"Did you just dump champagne into that plant?" Tiger asked blankly.

"Yes." Bestial admitted defiantly. "The stuff tastes horrible."

Jaded hid a grin behind his hand. "That's why Justice let's you get out of coming to these events so often. Decorum is not your strong suit."

"It was just a drink. What's the big deal?"

The two Species shook their heads in amusement and dropped the subject.

All of a sudden Tiger's features drew tight in a grimace. A feminine hand curled over his arm from behind and a human woman in her thirties appeared from behind Tiger's bulk.

Bestial looked her over and frowned. She long blonde hair that curled about her shoulders and reeked of chemicals. He doubted that was her natural color. Dressing in a body hugging black sheath dress she would have been beautiful if her blue eyes hadn't been so cold and calculating.

She gave them a dazzling smile and patted Tiger's arm. "Tiger, darling, won't you introduce me to your friends?"

Tiger ground his teeth and the hint of a growl rumbled in his chest. He didn't make a move.

Noticing their friend's dilemma, Jaded stepped forward and held out his hand for hers. "Nice to meet you, Mrs..." He trailed off, hoping she would fill in the blank.

The blonde moved around Tiger and slipped her hand into Jaded's. "Sutcliffe. Nora Sutcliffe of Sutcliffe Financial."

Jaded smiled. "Glad you could make it. My name is Jaded and this," Jaded waved a hand at Bestial. "Is my friend, Bestial."

Nora glanced at him and froze. The three Species could practically hear her purr in approval as she locked on her new target. "Mmm, yes, you are bestial, aren't you?" She murmured.

Bestial crooked and eyebrow at her. "That is the name I chose."

Behind her, Jaded grinned and Tiger looked relieved.

That should have been a hint.

Unfortunately for him, it wasn't until Nora Sutcliffe insinuated herself at his side and firmly grabbed his left butt cheek that he fully realized the reality of his situation.

* * *

Thank you for reading and please leave a review! They are food for writers! And if there is a weird situation you'd like to see the NS in, let me know! You just might see it in one of these snippets.


	6. The Long Night

Another little one! Please enjoy!

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**The Long Night**

Jessie stared at her husband stretched out beside her on the giant bed and wished she could glare a hole in his head. She might love the man but anyone who interfered with her sleep risked their life. She wasn't the most rational person when she couldn't sleep.

She reached out and poked his rather solid shoulder.

No reaction.

With a sigh, Jessie sat up and stared down at Justice. He'd been gone the last two days to a conference in Washington and while she would normally go with him, they had just rescued a new gift female and she had wanted to stay here to help.

When he had opened the door that evening he had immediately scooped her up into his arms and took her to the bedroom, tearing off her clothes as they went. It had been a while until he had let her come up for breath and then only because sleep had caught up to him.

She had been curled up at his side when she realized he was out cold and figured she should probably get properly ready for bed. Finding one of Justice's t-shirts to wear, she went about getting cleaned up and finding all the bedding they had tossed off the bed in their haste. She had gone to the bathroom to brush her teeth and when she came back Justice had rolled over and stolen her pillow, hugging it to his face.

At first she wondered if he was going to suffocated himself and then he had started purring, so she figured he'd be okay.

Jessie had commandeered his pillow and curled up beside him to sleep. Closing her eyes, she felt that everything was where it belonged.

The purring didn't stop.

After ten minutes, she had rolled away from him and buried her head in the pillow.

Fifteen minutes made her put the pillow over her head.

Seventeen minutes made her burst up and contemplate whacking _him_ over the head with it.

Eighteen minutes had her looking down at his handsome, lost in slumber, face and making her heart melt.

Twenty minutes and she was laid on her back, staring at the ceiling.

And twenty-three minutes brought her to the poking.

She knew she could scare him awake and he would be up in an instant, ready to defend her, but she didn't have the heart to do that. He had told her he hadn't slept well while he was away from her and she realized that he had stolen her pillow so he could breath in her scent.

Resigned to sleep being out of the cards for her, she laid down on her side and tried to think of the things she had to do tomorrow. She wanted to make a nice breakfast for Justice so she'd need to get up early to catch him before work caught up to him. Beauty and Half-Pint were going to come with her to visit the new gift female in the afternoon.

A strong arm slid around her and pulled her back into a solid warm body. "You're still awake." Justice noted, tucking her head onto the pillow of his arm and running his fingers through her long red hair. "Not tired?"

Jessie smiled and wiggled in tighter against him. "Just having trouble sleeping. Did I wake you?"

He gave a vague noise that she took as a negative and nuzzled his nose through her hair until he was at her neck. His warm breath sent pleasurable chills down her spine.

Her eyes had just begun to close when his chest vibrated and the purring began again.


	7. A Course in Females

Another little short for you all! Thank you for all the reviews, follows and love! I wish a Species for each of you lovelies! As always ideas of things you'd like to see how the NS handle are welcome!

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A Course in Females

Tammy sat on the fallen log and smiled patiently at the New Species males in front of her. "So when you approach a human female your best bet is to go slowly. You're all rather big and that can come across as intimidating to a woman."

"It's not our fault your women are so tiny." Leo growled softly, tail twitching in frustration among fallen leaves behind him.

"No, it's not." Tammy assured him. "But if you want to approach a human woman without scaring her pants off you have to realize your size can be mistaken as threatening."

"Well as long as her pants are coming off..." Another male insinuated softly.

Tammy gave the canine male a pointed look and his eyes skittered away from hers, flicking past her before dropping to star at the ground by his feet.

Tammy sighed and shook it off. She couldn't really blame them. These males were all Wild Zone residents, their altered genes showing more prominently than in most Species, and because of this their interactions with women were stunted at best. Even Species females tended to avoid them, fearing that their enhanced instincts would lead them to bond with a female that might end in a mating.

After watching one of the males try to speak to one of the human females who worked at Reservation and proceed to terrify the woman so badly that she had been escorted away from him, Tammy had decided it was time to start a social etiquette class for the Wild Zone residents. Every Tuesday afternoon she sat out here at the very edge of Valiant's territory and tried to give the males tips on dealing with females and social situations in general.

As word spread she had gained a following and now most days she had at least a handful of males meeting her here and not all of them were Wild Zone residents either. Leo and Vengeance were now regulars with Timber, Snow, Torrent and Ascension stopping by whenever their other duties allowed.

Today's topic, Approaching Human Females, was going slowly. "When you speak to her, remember she is not Species. New Species females are more forceful when dealing with males than human women. The woman may come off as timid but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to know more about you. Just speak calmly, try to keep your instincts in check, and don't move to fast. Give her time to get to know you."

"I heard that's not how Valiant got you to be his mate." Another male chuckled. "If it worked for him, why not for us?"

Tammy felt a blush creep up her cheeks and shook her head. "It didn't really work for him. Yes, he scared me and carried me off but then I ran away and didn't come back. If he had just approached me slowly and introduced himself things would have gone smoother. I already thought he was handsome so it wouldn't have taken much to gain my attention. Thankfully our situation just happened to work out in the long run."

"New Species males seem to bond quickly with their mates. Are human women as quick with their affections?"

This question came from Vengeance and Tammy considered the bald headed male carefully. She knew why he had been sent to the Wild Zone but lately he seemed to be making a distinct effort to learn how to attract a human woman. "Generally no. Most women want to get to know the man or male extensively before they commit. That doesn't mean she won't be attracted to you right away." Tammy glanced around at the males with their animalistic features and hard bodies. "To be fair, you guys have most human men beat. You're all eye catching in your own way so all you have to do is lure her into wanting to know more about you."

A growl rumbled over her head and her smile spread into an all out grin. "I should know. Valiant lured me in and I never want to leave." She looked over her shoulder to see her mate standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and glaring at the other males.

His gorgeous mouth opened, flashing fangs, and growled at her audience. "Leave."

The males scrambled, disappearing into the woods around them.

Valiant came around the fallen tree and looked down a this little mate. She was trying so hard to help the other males but Valiant hated to share her with anyone. Especially males who persisted on asking her questions about sex with human females.

Deciding he had some questions for her himself, he leaned over, putting his shoulder to her abdomen and picking her up, letting her drape over his shoulder in a fit of giggles. "Come mate. I need a hands on demonstration of how to lure a female to my bed. I am not sure I am doing it correctly."

Tammy just giggled as she tried to hold herself up enough so she could admire his tight butt as he stormed through the woods toward their house. She would let him try again and again.

It would be her pleasure.


	8. Confusing Terminology

Another little story for you all! I wonder sometimes what NS would think of some of our slang terminology and voila! This story came about! Hope you enjoy this little snippet! As always, reviews are food for writers so leave a little love at the end!

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**Confusing Terminology**

Trey scuffed at the walkway with the sole of his military boot and sighed. "I don't know how you guys do this every day, watching all these nut jobs parade around with their hate messages plastered on signs. I'd rather be out with the task team any day."

Beside him, Jericho shrugged his big shoulders, expression hidden behind the face shield they each wore. "It needs to be done. And we are on a rotation so we're not constantly doing the same thing."

Trey sighed deeply and fiddled with the buckle of his bulletproof vest. "I suppose, but if it were me I'd definitely need something to keep me busy up here. Thank god I only have to last through today."

"So this is the payment Slash chose when you lost?"

Trey looked over as Rider came closer, Sword at his side. He shook his head at his own folly. "Yeah, that guy is ruthless when he plays cards. Serves me right for teaching him poker."

Sword chuckled, "Perhaps you could teach the rest of us. We could use a day off as well."

Trey glared at the smug New Species but the effect was lost behind his mask. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

"So how are you liking guard duty?" Rider asked.

Before Trey could speak, Jericho spoke up. "He says he is bored and would rather be out with the task force."

"Really?" Sword ask, turning back to him.

Trey shrugged. "I guess I'm easily bored. I need something to entertain me." He gestured at the idiots with their hate signs. "And they are sure not doing it."

"I can see how that could be but I like guarding the wall. The protestors are annoying but there are other people down there too." Sword dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Not to mention, the mate hunters are always interesting."

"Mate hunters? What are they?" Trey couldn't say he'd ever heard of them before.

Rider chuckled and gestured for Trey to step closer to the edge of the wall. "Watch this." He put his arms up and stretched hard, muscles popping.

There was a squeal from below and female voices called out for the male's attention in a barrage of lewd comments and offers.

Trey peeked over the edge and watched as a hot little blonde flashed her rather excessive breasts at them with a call of 'Come on, big boy! Come down here and give it to me!"

Rider stepped back to the other side of the walk with the others and chuckled. "They wish to attract our males by showing their bodies."

Sword laughed. "They believe we will have no control of ourselves if we see them naked."

Trey shook his head and stepped back to join them. "Well, I can't see how they think that is going to work for them but I will definitely save a picture of her in my spank bank."

Jericho cocked his head at him. "What is a spank bank?"

Trey opened his mouth, considered, and closed it again. How to explain that one. Blunt was best. New Species appreciated bluntness. "Well, a spank bank is a term used for a guy's collection of, well ... pornographic material. Usually mental images but also pictures and videos

that he regularly likes to use for masturbation."

"Why would you need a collection? The internet is full of nude pictures." Sword inquired.

Trey rubbed the back of his neck and debated how to answer. "Well, yes, it is. But sometimes you come across one you really like so you want to keep it. It goes into your spank bank."

"Why would you call it a spank bank?" Jericho asked, intrigued.

Trey feared this was going to be one of their questions. "Uh...Spank refers to masturbation. You know, like choke the chicken, whack the weasel, spank the monkey. It's slang."

"Spank the monkey?" Jericho grumbled, sounding unhappy.

Trey put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Hey, I didn't make it up. It's just a slang term people use."

"Why do your terms for masturbation involve you assaulting an animal?" Rider asked curiously.

Trey opened his mouth but nothing came out. He couldn't think of a single answer to that. He shut his mouth, thought hard and settled on, "You know, I really have no idea. That's a really damn good question."


	9. Emergency Attention

Alright, last one for the evening! A little Trisha/Slade to wrap things up. My goal is to do a story for at least each couple as we go. Any ideas are welcome and reviews are always appreciated! Hope you enjoy!

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**Emergency Attention**

Slade's arm shot out and his hand mashed buttons on the alarm clock until the cursed thing shut up. A stirring of movement went through the warm body tucked into his side and he resisted the growl that rose up in his chest, arm tightening around his mate.

Trisha gave a soft groan and tried to roll over but Slade just tugged her in tighter until she was plastered against his nude body. "Mmm...what time is it?" She mumbled sleepily.

"Doesn't matter." Slade growled, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck.

Trisha felt a smile tug at her lips and turned her head to kiss his brow. "Come on, Lollipop. I promised Justice I would be on that helicopter at first light and I meant it."

"I'd rather you be on something else at first light." Slade grumbled into her hair, arms still holding her in place.

Trisha couldn't help the snort of laughter that broke from her and she patted the strong arm that crossed under her breasts. "I know, but I promised."

The sigh that came from behind her was long and frustrated. "Fine." Slade griped, loosening his hold on her. "Leave me all alone in this big bed with this amazing hard on."

Trisha slid to the edge of the bed and flicked on the bedside light before turning to admire the image of Slade splayed naked across their bed. He had one arm stretched out toward her and the other crooked behind his head while he watched her. The blankets had slid to the side and barely covered his hips. The lamp light loved him, caressing his tanned skin with golden light until he look like a lounging Greek god. "You know I would love to climb back in bed with you but I promised to help Justice interview the new nurses for Homeland. We should be back before lunch if everything goes smoothly. Justice has a conference this evening so we need to be back before that."

Slade gave her a sheepish smile and nodded. "Yeah, I know, but I had to try." He moved to the side of the bed and sat up, pulling her between his spread knees.

Trisha rested her hands on his strong shoulders and leaned in for a searing kiss. "I love you and I will come see you as soon as I'm back, okay?"

Slade grinned up at her and stroked his hands down the length of her body. "Good because I have plans for you."

Trisha grinned down at him, gave him one more peck on the lips and turned to head into the bathroom. "Will you check on Forest while I get ready?"

"Absolutely." Slade replied, leaning forward to admire her rear as she walked away. Damn that woman got him going.

XXX

It was seven o'clock in the evening before Justice called him. Slade answered on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Sorry for the late phone call, Slade. I got held up with business. Trisha and I are back at Reservation now." Justice informed him.

A breath sighed out of Slade. He hadn't worried until Trisha had been late getting home. Then she hadn't answered any of the calls or texts he'd sent to her phone. He'd been about to call security and medical when Justice had called.

"There was a car accident and the local hospital is forwarding a patient over to the medical center here at Reservation. Trisha wanted me to tell you that she was going over to help and would call you as soon as she could." Justice relayed to him. "Now I have to get to a conference. Talk to you tomorrow."

Slade slipped the phone in his pocket as Justice hung up. He had dropped Forest off with Fury and Ellie to let the boys have a sleep over for the night but this was getting in the way of his plans. Undeterred, Slade flicked off the lights and left their little house, heading for medical.

When he entered Midnight was at the desk with Paul, discussing their new database for medical records. They both looked up at him and offered him smiles. Stepping around the desk, Midnight approached. "Good evening, Slade. Trisha is still with the car accident victim. Did you want me to let her know your here?"

Slade almost said yes until an idea hit him. "Actually..."

XXX

Trisha's shoulders ached from being hunched over the operating table for the last two hours. They had managed to stop the young woman's internal bleeding and now it was just a wait and see situation. Hopefully she would resist infection and heal up nicely.

Trisha dug into her assigned locker and found her phone. She flicked the screen and nothing happened. Her battery must have died. Slade would be worried. She'd have to call before she left medical to let him know she was fine and on her way home.

She headed out into the hallway and headed for the phone at the front desk but before she made it there Midnight rounded a corner. "Oh, Doctor Trisha, I was hoping I'd catch you."

"Hey Midnight, what's going on?"

The dark haired Species female gave her an apologetic smile. "We just had a male come in with a laceration and I was hoping you could take a look at him before you left."

Trisha sighed and nodded, "Sure, I'll check it out. Which room did you put him in."

"Last one." Midnight gestured down the hall as Trisha headed past her.

"Oh, will you give Slade a call and let him know I should be done soon?"

Midnight grinned at the doctor's back and spoke softly so the other woman couldn't hear. "Oh, that won't be necessary." She turned on her heel and went to hunt down a certain doctor Harris for a little check up of her own.

Trisha pushed open the door and looked up to find Slade sprawled across the exam table in only his jeans, the fly undone to give the erection beneath it room. Her heart stopped at the sensual sight of her mate waiting there for her.

"Hello Doc. I'm so glad you came. I'm having an emergency and I really need your help." Slade said with a slow, sexy smile as he sat up and gestured her over. "You see I have this swelling that only you can help me take care of."

Trisha grinned and stepped toward him, already shrugging out of her white lab coat. "Oh Lollipop, I am more than capable of helping you with that kind of problem."


	10. Color of Love

Just a little something that popped into my head today. Hope you enjoy!

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Color of Love

Obsidian breathed deep, taking in the scent of his mate. Allie was sprawled across his chest, smelling of strawberry bubble bath and spent passion, her own breaths finally calmed into sleep.

Allison had worked late, having to help a male who had broken his arm during training. Obsidian had been waiting impatiently for her to get home and had swept her off her feet the minute she had walked out of locker room at medical. He had dragged her home, drawn her a bath and then promptly loved her warm, damp body over and over until she'd past out.

Obsidian slipped her gently off his chest, bringing her to his side. He hated to move her but his instincts demanded he check the house over once more before retiring with his mate.

Slipping off the bed he reached down for the comforter which had been forced down the bed until it was mushed against the footboard. He pulled it up but stopped when he caught a flash of purple.

Eyes narrowing, Obsidian bent over and stared at Allie's toes curiously. Each of the nails was colored in a shimmering metallic purple. How strange. She must have done it while he worked this morning as he was certain they hadn't been that color last night.

He reached out and ran a finger softly over the smooth color on her toe. How very... cute. He found he liked her adorable little purple toes.

With a smile on his face, Obsidian covered his Allie with the comforter and a went to make sure their house was secure.

From then on he checked each night, her little purple toes putting a smile on his face. He still wasn't sure how she had gotten them that color but he doubted he would ask, enjoying the little mystery.

On the fourth night, as he adjusted the comforter over her sleeping form he realized her toes were now a pretty aqua.

He grinned, entertained by this surprise.

Five days later pink was what met his nightly check.

A week later, Obsidian was getting into his NSO uniform before heading to work when he heard the shower in the en suite bathroom turn off. The sound of Allie moving around in there drew his attention and he moved to stand at the end of the bed so he could watch her dry off as he dressed. When she wrapped the towel around her wet body and bent over to dig under the sink he nearly groaned aloud.

The rattle of glass bottles knocking together caught his attention he stepped into the bathroom doorway. "What are you doing?"

Allie looked up and gave him a sweet smile that made him want to drag her back to bed. "Just trying to pick a polish."

"A polish?" He leaned over, looking down into the basket of little colored bottles she kept under the sink.

"Yes. For my toes." She stood up and gestured to her feet, the toes of which were now bare of color. She held up a little blue bottle. "I think I'll go blue this time."

Obsidian was quiet as she slipped past him into their bedroom. He should finish getting ready and go to his shift but...

"May I help you turn your toes blue?" He blurted, unable to resist.

Allie stared at him for a moment, surprise on her face, before a smile broke over her features. "Sure! Do you want to do them now?"

Obsidian nodded.

"All right." She shook the bottle and sat down with her back to the headboard.

Obsidian sat in front of her, taking her feet into his lap. He patted her little toes lovingly and then untwisted the top of the bottle.

The smell took his breath away and he backed off, nose scrunched up in distaste. "It smells awful."

Allie laughed. "Yeah, it is. Can't complain about the results though."

Obsidian didn't say anything just set about painting her tiny toes very carefully. It wasn't easy and his fingers bore more than a few blue smudges but he managed to get each one done to his satisfaction.

Looking down at her new little blue toes he smiled. "I like that. I will do them when you want to change colors."

Allie smiled, loving the image of her big male, dressed in his black uniform with her newly painted toes resting carefully in his lap. She leaned forward and reached out, drawing him close enough so she could kiss his lips. He was still coming to grips with his new life but on thing was certain. He was the strongest, sweetest man she knew.

It was why she loved him.


	11. Homeless

Hello again my Lovelies! I know it's been quite a while since my last update but life has kept me pretty busy! I've been working on a special project, my very own book series! But enough about me, what you really want is more NS! So here we go! A little short from Reservation! Hope you all enjoy!

If you want to find out more about my original book series or are just curious what I'm writing, you can check out my new facebook group at groups/1177628492254890/

**Homeless**

Sheriff Greg Cooper adjusted his hat and stared at the box he'd sat on Slade's desk. "One of my deputies found them on the side of the road last night. We kept them at the office overnight but they need a place to go."

"And you thought of Reservation?" Slade asked, lifting the blanket to peer into the box.

Sheriff Cooper offered a miniscule shrug. "We could drop them off at the humane society but I thought they might do better here."

Slade sat back in his office chair and sighed. "Okay, we'll take them."

The Sheriff's mouth quirked up in a smile. "Thanks Slade. As always it's a pleasure working with the NSO." The Sheriff headed for the door, waving to Creek on his way out.

Slade stared at the box on his desk in consideration. Who could he trust with the responsibility? He sat forward and peeked into the box again. First and foremost, they needed something to eat. Thinking of what he'd seen in the lounge fridge earlier when he went to get a soda, he got up and headed out of his office. On his way past Creek's desk he smiled down at the female Species working diligently at her computer. "I'll be right back."

Creek smiled and nodded. "Oh, Dr. Harris is sending Slash over to get those boxes of files for Medical."

"Okay, they are right by the desk." Slade directed as he headed down the hall to the lounge. What would they need? Meat? Water? Hmm... Maybe he could ask Trisha.

XXX

Slash sauntered down the hallway and grinned when he came around the corner to see Creek at her desk. They'd had a great time dancing at the bar a couple of nights ago and he had high hopes she'd let him take her out again soon. "Hey Creek!"

The lithe brunette smiled up at him and grinned. "Hello Slash! How has your day been?"

"Not too bad. The protesters at the gate seem pretty calm today." He told her just as the phone on her desk rang.

Creek made a face at it. "I wish I could say the same." She picked up the phone and gestured Slash into Slade's office with a flick of her hand.

Slash grinned and pushed the partially closed door fully open as he entered Slade's office. A box covered in a small blue blanket sat on the desk and Slash swept it up into his arms without a thought. His nose twitched as carried the box out of the office and past a distracted Creek who waved negligently at him as she spoke into the phone.

He made it to the golf cart he'd parked in front of the building before a rustling sound from within the box caught his attention. He sat the box on the front seat of the cart and hesitantly plucked the corner of the blanket up.

He blinked.

These weren't files.

He carefully poked one of the little bundles with a rough finger tip and it let out a plaintive little rumble. Hmm... Interesting.

He covered the package again and got in, driving toward Medical with a steadying hand on the box beside him.

XXX

Midnight grinned conspiratorially at the young Dr. Harris and blatantly ignored Paul's intrusion. She leaned down and placed her lips softly against her lover's, kissing him as she let her fingers sift through his short dark hair.

"Uh, sorry to bother you both," Paul said, turning in the doorway of Dr. Harris's office so his back was to the couple. "But I've got three Species who just came in needing medical attention. It seems there was an incident in the Wild Zone."

Midnight sighed as she pulled back, sad to have her make out session with her human ended so abruptly. She looked down from where she sat on his desk and smiled at the dazed expression on his soft features. He sat before her in his office chair with a small silly smile on his face. "I suppose we should get to work."

He nodded and she stood, letting her human get up from his desk. They walked side by side out of the office, following Paul down the hall to the waiting room of Medical. Two NSO officers stood between one large Species male and another two who sat a short distance away. Low level growling rumbled out of the three males as they shot disgruntled glances at each other behind the security officers backs.

"What happened here?" Midnight asked, coming up to the males and looking over their busted knuckles and bloodied faces.

Vengeance growled low but wouldn't meet her eyes so she turned her penetrating gaze on Leo and Lash.

"He was going after the squirrels." Leo growled out.

Midnight blinked. "The squirrels?"

"They're off limits." Lash put in.

Midnight blinked again and glanced over at the two New Species Officers standing between the combatants. "What are they talking about?"

Zest grinned, his fangs showing. "Valiant has put the squirrels on the no eating list. He's been feeding them and gets pretty touchy when anyone messes with them."

"I wasn't messing with them!" Vengeance spat, thick arms crossed and a scowl on his hard features.

Leo huffed his disbelief of that statement.

"I wasn't!" Ven growled, standing up.

Midnight moved between Vengeance and the officers who were stepping forward, ready to force Ven to calm down. "Okay, you weren't messing with them. What were you doing with them?"

Vengeance sighed and relaxed back into his chair. "One of them got stuck in the chimney of my house. I had to get on the roof to get try and fish him out."

Midnight raised a brow and looked over at the two Wild Zone residents who were now looking a bit sheepish.

Leo shrugged his big shoulders, his tail flicking back and forth in irritation through the open back of the chair he sat on. "He had a squirrel in his fist. How were we supposed to know he wasn't going to hurt the little creature?"

Midnight rolled her eyes and looked over at Dr. Harris who just shook his head and gestured Paul to bring a medical cart of supplies over. "Let's just bandage them up and send them on their way."

Midnight grabbed a few alcohol wipes and some bandages off the cart and went to Leo, cleaning up his busted knuckles. The medical team was just covering the last of the injuries when Slash entered, pushing open the door with his back so the box in his hands was undisturbed.

He came to a stop when he noticed eight set of eyes on him. "Uh, hi."

Midnight eyed the box in his arms curiously. "What do you have there?"

A grin broke across Slash's face and he strode over, setting the box on the admittance desk. He pulled the blanket off and reached in, scoping up one of the fuzzy little bundles. He held the little white mewling ball to his broad chest and patted it between it's ears.

Midnight's heart melted a little as she stepped forward and reached for the tiny little kitten in Slash's arms. "Oh! How sweet!" Slash relinquished his burden and Midnight cuddled the little ball of fur to her cheek tenderly.

Leo came over and looked into the box, reaching in when a little calico kitten mewled at him. He carefully ran clawed fingers over it's silky fur until the little beast purred at him and nuzzled his big hand for more.

XXX

Slade walked back into his office, a shallow dish in one hand and a small carton of milk in the other, and stopped dead. He glanced around. Walked around his desk.

The box of kittens was missing.

Leaving the dish and milk on his desk he rushed out to talk to Creek. The female Species was just hanging up the phone when he burst out of his office. "There was a box on my desk. Did someone take it?"

Creek looked at him curiously. "Well Slash went in to get the boxes for Medical but..."

Slade cursed and raced for the door, needing to get to Medical as soon as possible. He got into the golf cart he'd taken to work that morning and drove as fast as the cart would go, screeching to a stop before the building that held Medical.

Slashed was out and running for the doors, hoping Slash hadn't left the poor little kittens alone. With any luck Paul had taken them in and was even now caring for them.

He burst through the doors and ground to a stop, staring at the spectacle that met him.

Midnight and the young Dr. Harris were cooing over a tiny white kitten together. Vengeance, his lip split and nose bloodied sat on the floor with a tiny gray fuzz ball, letting the adventurous little beast climb all over him like a mountain. Leo and Lash both held calico kittens cuddled in their big hands, Leo nuzzling his face against the tiny feline's soft fur. Zest and Sword were on hands and knees, taking turns dragging a bit of suturing thread along the floor for a coal black kitten to chase.

"Oh. Hey Slade!" Paul said, coming into the room with a shallow dish and what smelled like a tuna sandwich. "What can we do for you?"

Slade looked around the room at all the tough Species males who had completely fallen to the whims of five tiny kittens. He shook his head and grinned. "Nothing. Just wanted to see how our new friends where doing. We have to find them all homes."

Seven hopeful faces looked at him and Slade knew the kittens weren't going to be homeless long.


	12. Storytime

This one popped into my head last night and I just had to get it out so here goes! In other news my manuscript for my original novel is with a friend going through final edits and I've been working on the next chapter of Paths Crossed (which I've uploaded to here as well). Hope you enjoy!

**Storytime**

Missy typed away, a gleeful expression on her face. Her muse was on a roll today and she wasn't going to stop unless the building was falling down around her.

It had been four days since the explosion that had destroyed their house and while the New Species had welcomed them to stay at Reservation, Missy was still having trouble wrapping her head around the turn of events. Kat, who had spent her first couple of days at Medical, had been released yesterday but instead of coming to the apartment Missy had been given at the women's dorm, she'd been swept off by that dangerous looking Species, Darkness. If it wasn't for Book's insistence that Darkness wouldn't hurt her, Missy might have been worried.

Instead, she just hung out and waited for her best friend to come up for air. They would take care of the hard decisions, like how to deal with their house, later.

Thankfully she finally had an effective way to kill time again.

Yesterday Book had showed up to get her for lunch with a surprise for her. After making her close her eyes and put out her hands, he's set a new laptop with a big purple bow on it into her waiting fingers. She had squealed and threw herself at the tall New Species for a joyful hug. As soon as she'd eaten she raced back to the apartment to start gathering her backed up files from her online storage.

Since the epic hard drive crash of 2011, Missy had been anal about backing up her work. She never wanted to have to rewriter three quarters of a book again just because she'd gotten slack. The rewrite, while good, never felt as good as the original. Something always felt like it got missed.

This morning she woke up just as the sun was brightening the sky and raced for her new laptop, her mind full of dialogue and scenes. She typed for hours, eventually getting up to use the washroom and make a coffee before plunking herself back in front of the screen and annihilating her word count goal for the day.

"Uh..."

The headphones on her ears pumped Josh Ramsay's voice straight into her brain. Thank god for Marianna's Trench. They could drown out the world long enough that she could get her work done. She might love to write but Missy could admit to being a goldfish at the best of times. Something sparkly at the edge of her vision could completely derail her thoughts.

"Mis..."

She giggled maniacally as her hero pushed his lady love against a wall, seizing her lips as payment for his rescue of her. The kiss was hot, a delectable slide of lips on lips that made even her envy them.

"Maybe..."

Missy rubbed her hands together in glee as she started on the leading lady's breathless reaction to the man she'd assumed was her enemy the entire time. Oh, this was going to be good!

Josh's voice faded as her headphones started to slip off and Missy reached, hoping to catch the errant things before they fell off entirely. When her fingers encounter someone else's she couldn't help the startled squeak that bubbled up.

Missy whirled in her seat, throwing herself back against the table that held her laptop and empty coffee cup. Her headphone cord got caught on the arm of the chair and the headset spun around, the band on them tightening up to her throat in an effort to strangle her.

Four women towered over her, their faces a mix of surprise and apologetic. Evidently, scaring the crap out of her hadn't been their plan.

"Sorry." Breeze said, giving her a lopsided grin. "We tried to get your attention but..." She shrugged, looking unsure.

"You were talking to yourself." Sky put in.

"And doing that evil laugh that bad guys in movies do." Kit pointed out.

Missy felt her cheeks heat as she struggled to get her headphones off. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bother anyone."

"You weren't bothering us." Breeze told her bluntly. "We just wanted to see if you wanted to come watch a game with us."

"A game?" Missy repeated. Introvert that she was, sports weren't really her thing, televised or otherwise.

"Yeah!" Blue piped up. "The males are going to be playing a game of -" She looked at her sister when the word obviously failed to come to her.

"Rugby." Sky offered.

"Rugby!" Blue announced happily. "They used to play football but the padding got in their way. One of the task force suggested rugby would be more to their liking so they switched."

"I'm not really a sports fan." Missy told them hesitantly.

"Oh, we don't go for the sports." Breeze explained with a sly smile. "The males like to take off their shirts and run around in front of us. We are doing our part by showing up and watching them."

Missy raised a brow and grinned. "You mean ogling?"

"Ogling?" Breeze inquired. The other three women looked equally curious.

"Yes, ogling." Missy could feel the big smile spreading across her lips. "The act of watching with desire or want."

The other females snickered and Breeze beamed. "Exactly! Come ogle with us!"

Missy laughed. "Okay, I can't deny an offer like that. Just let me save my work." She turned back to her laptop and started saving and backing up her work.

Breeze leaned over her shoulder, reading the words on the screen. "Why are you writing about kissing?"

"Oh! It's what I do. I'm a romance writer. I write about people finding love and the hardships their relationships go through." Missy explained.

"Do you write about sex?" Sky asked curiously.

"Yep. Sex scenes can be a lot of fun to write." Missy told them, closing the files and shutting down. "I once wrote this awesome scene in a bathtub where the girl was on top of the guy." She giggled remembering it. "There was water everywhere when they were done!"

The four New Species women stared at her.

Kit looked at Breeze. "We have to introduce her to Beauty."

"How would you feel about coming to a sleep over tonight?" Breeze asked.

Missy nodded. "Sure, I'd love to."

Breeze grinned broadly. "Great. Will you read one of your books to us?"

Missy blinked, honestly surprised. "You want me to read one of my novels out loud?"

"Beauty says romance novels can be really enjoyable and we should try them." Breeze explained. "Some of our females have trouble reading and we are all trying to experience new things. Who better to read us a romance novel than the person who wrote it."

Missy beamed and popped up from her chair. "All right, you've got a deal! You show me the men - err males - to ogle and I'll read a dirty novel to you guys! Just let me get changed and I'm ready."

Sky chuckled as Missy went into the bedroom to switch out the huge NSO T-shirt she'd slept in and the drawstring shorts for a pair of jeans and a tank top that one of the Gift females had let her borrow. "Do humans usually mate in bathtubs?"

"Uh, no." Missy shook her head, dragging a brush through her hair as she came back out. "Human's usually have sex in beds but now and then we mix it up and do it somewhere else. The floor, against a wall, the tub or on the counter. Sometimes even outside. Just depends on how adventurous the couple is."

"It would be hard to be mounted on a counter. I think I would fall off." Blue contemplated.

"I heard that's what happened to Fury's mate." Sky intoned.

"Humans usually have sex facing each other." Breeze pointed out.

"They probably have less chance of falling off the counter that way." Kit snickered.

Missy shook her head at their speculation. She could easily see tonight's story time being an interesting event. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

"Great! Let's head to the field." Breeze led the way out.

As Missy came up beside Sky's tall form in the hallway, glancing around before dropping her voice to a whisper. "Do you think Book will be there?"

The four New Species women looked over at her, having heard every word, and grinned.


	13. Fetish

I figured it was time to play with Dana and Mourn. In the midst of editting my own work this idea popped up and I had to write it out. Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

**Fetish**

"Did you know some humans are aroused by being hit on the butt?"

Mourn's attention perked as he listened to the two other New Species males talking. He had showed up early to take over his security shift, keen on getting the time out of the way so he could go home to his Dana. He was sitting there outside the security office, waiting for the male who's shift he would be taking over and flipping through the pictures he had taken on the device called a cell phone.

The small machine was a gift from Darkness and his mate. Darkness had assured him it was a good idea to have, allowing Dana to connect with even when they were apart. Dana had been the one to show him the benefits of the tiny camera. They had spent yesterday afternoon in the park, eating lunch on a blanket and Dana had shown him how to snap photos. She had told him the camera was a way to save a piece of his favorite moments.

They had taken a bunch of photos smiling together and later he had used his new found knowledge to take photos of Dana's face as he made her cry out in pleasure. She was beautiful and that was definitely a moment he wanted to save.

"Really? Our females would break the arm of anyone who hit their ass."

Mourn stared at his phone blankly as he absorbed the males conversation. He hadn't worked with these two before but he vaguely remembered Fury calling them Sword and Night. He was a little nervous to introduce himself. Many of the males had heard of his actions from before he met Dana and were wary of being around him.

Instead he listened to their conversation from his seat on the bench, pretending he was focused on his phone.

"That is so true!" One laughed before continuing. "They have this kind of sex called fetish. I found a site about it when I was on the internet."

"Why would the humans need an entire site for it?"

"I have no idea. I know Fury told us not to believe everything we see on the internet but this had pictures."

"Pictures?" The other male sounded intrigued now.

The one Mourn thought was called Sword dropped into a conspiratorial tone. "There are pictures of human males tying up the females in rope and hanging them from the ceiling."

"The ceiling? Wouldn't that hurt the female?"

"They call it rope play and many of the females seemed to be enjoying it." Sword shrugged. "It probably help that some of them were having sex while tied up like that."

Night grinned. "Human males have to bind their females up in rope to keep them from running away during sex."

Sword chuckled then sobered. "I would not blame their females for running. Some of their fetishes involve hitting their partner with paddles and whips."

Night frowned. "That is not right."

"Want to hear something truly strange?" Sword asked.

Night raised a brow.

"Apparently some humans desire something called 'anal sex'."

Night's brow furrowed in confusion. "When you say anal do you mean like sex with someone who's picky or particular? Or..."

Sword grinned and nodded. "I mean up the butt."

Night sat back in surprise. "Why would they want to do that?"

Sword laughed. "How would I know? Humans are weird."

Night smirked. "I certainly won't be asking any of our females to let me have anal sex with them. I do not desire that kind of pain."

The two species males laughed.

Mourn stared at his phone, not really registering the image of Dana's softly smiling face that filled the screen. As they had talked he had tried to figure out what a human would find attractive in the sexual acts that they Species had described. He may have more experience with human females than they did but he was still learning.

The rope he could almost understand. He would never allow himself to be tied but the idea of tying Dana down so he could pleasure her was intriguing. He didn't thing she would like to hang from the ceiling but he could imagine gently wrapping soft silky ropes around her ankles, keeping her legs spread wide so he could thoroughly taste her without her closing her thighs on him.

The idea of smacking her butt wasn't unappealing. He often found himself gripping it when they made love and he loved the feeling of it's softness. He would enjoy seeing it jiggle when he gave her a light tap. He could never hit her hard though and hoped she had no desire to have a whip or other implement used on her.

He would die before causing her pain.

As far as anal sex went, he kind of hoped it was something she wouldn't be interested in. His dick was big, bigger than a humans for sure, and the idea of trying to force it into such a tight, dry space was uncomfortable to say the least. He was sure it would cause both of them pain if she wished for it.

He could only hope she wasn't interested. He wanted to fulfill any of her fantasies but this was one act he would prefer not to do.

"Mourn?"

His head jerked up and he realized Slash, Sword and Night were all waiting for him by a Jeep parked at the curb.

"Are you coming?"

Mourn nodded, stuffing his phone in his pocket and going to meet them. He would just have to leave his desire to question her until later.

XXX

Dana flipped the pork chops and put the cover back on the pan. She stabbed a fork into the potatoes boiling in a pot of water and determined they still needed time. Setting her fork aside, she rubbed her rounded belly as she wriggled her butt up onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

She would never complain about carrying Mourn's son, she was still elated that they had gotten pregnant so quickly, but she wouldn't mind if the swelling in her feet went down soon. She had wanted to surprise Mourn with a homemade dinner. Lately Mourn had been careful with her to the point that he had refused to let her cook or clean or even fold laundry. She had thought it was very sweet of him when he told her growing a baby was enough work to keep her busy but she did miss caring for him now and then.

When the call from Security had come this afternoon asking for Mourn to help fill in for some of the males she had taken it as a sign.

Mourn had kissed her and promised he would be home in time to make supper. He had taken time off security since she'd gotten pregnancy and it was obvious he didn't feel right leaving her alone. She had to practically shoo him out the door, promising the whole way that she would be fine.

Now he was due home any minute and she was excited to have the table set and dinner almost ready. She'd changed into a cute flowy purple top that gave her rapidly expanding belly some extra room and a pair of black capri pants in anticipation of his arrival.

She flicked through a few more pages of the Babies R Us website, picking out the items they would need to order from Supply. It was amazing the amount of stuff one infant required.

The front door opened and she quickly tucked her tablet away, getting to her feet. She could hear Mourn shedding his work gear and then quickly heading for the kitchen, no doubt following his nose directly to her.

Mourn rounded the corner and his face split into a fang bearing smile.

"Welcome home honey! Supper is almost ready." Dana grinned as Mourn drew her into his arms and pressed her tight against his chest.

"I missed you, Dana." He said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead and nuzzling her hair. "How are my mate and son doing since I've been gone?"

Dana rubbed her baby bump and chuckled. "We're good. We managed to keep ourselves busy making supper and shopping."

"You should have left the cooking to me, Dana."

She grinned at him. "I'm pregnant, not sick. I can manage to cook supper. I really wanted to make it for you."

Mourn smiled down at her and directed her to sit at the table. "Then we should eat the meal you have cooked. It smells delicious. Sit and I will bring it in."

Dana sat and they talked about his day as Mourn mashed the potatoes and then brought in plates of pork chops, potatoes and gravy. Mourn settled beside her, liking to touch her during their meal, and they ate.

Dana realized as she finished her last bite of gravy slathered potato that it had been a while since Mourn had said anything. He was however casting speculative glances at her randomly.

"What is it, Mourn?" She asked, unable to curb her curiosity.

He watched her carefully as he took a drink of water. It was a moment before he spoke, obviously trying to piece together his thoughts. Dana gave him time, taking a sip of her own water as she awaited his words.

"Do you wish to do anal sex?"

Dana spluttered, nearly spitting her mouthful of water across the table, and started coughing. Mourn was at her side in an instant, patting her back and looking worried.

"Are you all right? Should I call Medical? Dana?"

She shooed his hands away, catching her breath and swiping at the tears that had formed in her eyes. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I promise."

"Are you sure?" Mourn asked, looking her flushed features over with care.

"Yes. I'm okay." Dana shook her head and stared at the man who was her mate. "Uh... Why would you ask me something like that?"

Mourn took his seat again and held her hand. "I remember us talking about our fantasies. Some of the males were talking about fetishes today and I worried that if you were into any you might not feel comfortable asking for something you wanted. It sounded as if human males would be fine with fetishes and I wanted you to know that even though I am Species I would be too."

Dana took this in and smiled gently at him. "And you thought anal sex was the best place to start?"

Mourn looked grim. "It was the one I was most worried about. I do not see how my dick could fit in such a place without causing you great pain."

She giggled. "I assure you, I have no immediate desire to explore anal sex, but if I ever do I will tell you. That sound okay?"

Mourn nodded, a smile gracing his lips once more.

"Now, is there anything else you wanted to ask me while we're on this topic?" Dana inquired, figuring she might as well lay all his worries to rest.

"How do you feel about rope?"


	14. Nightmare

The pain was terrible. A writhing, living thing that curled through her body. Her muscles clenched, seizing in the wake of the agony. She curled into the fetal position, trying to breathe as another wave struck her.

Jeanie couldn't remember how long it had been since Dr. Brask had given her the shot. She wasn't even sure how far into the experiment she was. She knew from experience it could last anywhere from a half hour of blinding torture to hours of nauseating cramps.

The only thing she had to be thankful for was that Dean Polanatis wasn't here, his disturbingly watchful gaze taking in every moment of her discomfort with sick relish. The experiments might be horrendous but have his eyes on her during them made her feel dirty.

Another wave rolled up her spine, shooting down every nerve ending on it's way. Her hands curled into fists. Her abdomen tightened, forcing her to curl inward. A stab of unwanted desire struck her womb and she couldn't help the scream that tore through her.

Jeanie bolted up right, a gasp escaping her lips. Wide eyed, she stared around the dark room, unable to make out anything. Her heartbeat pounded away in her ears, blocking out any other sound.

Oh god! Where was she? She panted, terror running rampant in her veins. Was she still in Polanatis' hands? Chills ran through her body at the thought of being any where near that man's evil.

The light flicked on and Jeanie yelped, shielding her eyes with her hands as she scooted backward until she came up against a wall.

"Jeanie? What's wrong?" A deep masculine voice asked, coming closer.

710?

She tried to say something, anything, but her voice died on her tongue. She was just so glad to see him. Tears pricked at her eyes.

"Jeanie come here." His voice was soft as he came closer, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling her into his arms. He settled her on his lap and buried his nose in her disheveled hair. "I can smell your fear."

She buried her nose into his chest, the fabric of his NSO uniform rubbing against her cheek. "True..." She wanted to say more but her voice came out a hoarse croak. The tears that had threatened moments ago spilled over for an entirely different reason.

She wasn't in pain. Polanatis was locked away in Fuller, unable to touch them. True was no longer subject to the whims of Mercile.

"It's okay. You're safe, Jeanie." True crooned, his hand petting her hair softly. "You're right here with me."

"I was so scared." Jeanie managed to get out, trying to calm her breathing. "I was..." She couldn't get anymore out.

True's chest vibrated with a low level growl. "Shh mate, I have you." He stood, keeping her in his arms, and sat her down on the bed again. He caught the discarded comforter and hauled it up, covered her trembling form.

As she watched, he stripped off, leaving his uniform in a careless pile on the floor. He turned on the bedside lamp, casting their bedroom in golden light, and flicked off the overhead light. She watched his muscled form stalk back across the room, slipping into bed beside her.

It wasn't even a moment before he'd hauled her into his arms, molding her body to his. She immediately found her breathing easier, the safety of being with True easing her tension.

"Sleep Jeanie. I have you now."

Jeanie burrowed into him, inhaling his masculine scent, and let his presence ease her back to sleep.

XXX

True stroked his mate's hair and stared angrily at the wall behind her. He remembered Jeanie admitting to him she'd had panic attacks before and he was sure that was what had happened tonight.

They had texted earlier and she had told him she was going to head to bed but to wake her when he got off his shift with security. He hadn't expected to walk into their home in Species housing to scent her overwhelming fear. He hadn't smelled anyone else in their home, just the faint traces left over from Breeze and Midnight's visit yesterday. Nothing alarming.

When he heard her pained moans his heart had clenched in his chest. He'd reached the threshold of their room and froze, watching her body tremble and toss among the rumpled sheets. He'd talked to the older Dr. Harris about panic attacks, wanting to be prepared in case it ever happened again. Dr. Harris had mentioned Jeanie might also suffer from nightmares and instructed him what to do should she wake in terror.

All he wanted to do was go to her as he watched her curl in on herself, plaintive whimpers escaping. He'd called her name softly, wanting to wake her gently, but knowing shaking her awake would only feed the fear.

He had just about reached his breaking point, the sweet smell of her fear strong in his nose, when she woke up. Her breathing strained and her eyes were wild. He'd approached her slowly, needing her in his arms, needing to soothe his mate's fear.

No doubt the recent encounters with Jerry Boris and the would be kidnappers had brought these fears to the fore. Tim's threats to have her taken to Fuller where Polanatis was held probably hadn't helped.

True nuzzled his nose into her hair, rubbing his cheek against the soft strands. She smelled so good, even fear only heightened her delectable scent. Her warmth in his arms was an anchor, the only thing that kept him from tracking down Darkness and demanding the male get him ten minutes alone with Polanatis and any other human male who had threatened his mate. He wanted to make sure that the only things to cause her fear were her memories.

Nothing would hurt her anymore.

He would make sure of it.

Tonight he could only hold her close.

True tucked her closer to his chest until he could feel her even breaths against his pec. She snuggled into him, her thigh slipping over his.

"Mmm...glad you're home..." She murmured against his flesh. "Was work good?"

True kissed her forehead and nodded slightly. "It was good. Nothing big happened."

"Good." She smiled softly and yawned.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked, wondering if she remembered the nightmare.

She gave a noncommittal noise and shifted, running her fingers down his abs. "It's better now that you're home."

"Sleep now, Jeanie." He took her hand and interlaced their fingers. "I'm right here."


	15. Positive Influence

Jaded stepped into the elevator, his finger busily flicking over the keyboard of his phone as he texted. He'd promise to update Justice when Sheriff Cooper reported back about the cargo truck that had gone missing yesterday. Apparently some anti-Species humans had hijacked it in a misguided attempt to 'starve the animals out' as the report quoted. The supplies were easy enough to reorder but the driver had been badly beaten up. Jaded had spent his morning making sure that the man's hospital bills were covered and he would have time to heal without worrying about money.

The NSO took care of their own.

He was just hitting the send button when a scent caught his attention. _Mmm... Vanilla and cinnamon._ He breathed deeply, that luscious smell filling the enclosed space of the elevator.  
A low growl of pleasure rose in his chest.

He turned his head, nose following the scent and found himself staring at a human female occupying the opposite side of the elevator. A dark swathe of unruly curls shielded her face as she toyed with her own phone. A light blue blouse stretched over her generous breasts and a sleek knee length black skirt hugged her hips. Her shoes, some ridiculous strappy contraptions with towering heels, made her legs look miles long.

And to top off such a delectable little package, she smelled like frosted cinnamon buns.

Jaded felt his mouth water, wanting a taste of her. He wasn't normally attracted to human females but something about this particular one drove him a little wild.

"Oh balls!" Cindy cursed, flipping the pretty purple cover of her cell phone case closed and letting out a little frustrated growl.

Jaded wondered for an instant if she'd growl like that in bed. _Gah...Get it together!_

"Having trouble?" He asked, a little irritated with himself when his voice came out rougher than normal.

Cindy looked up and gave him a hapless little shrug, a contrite smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Have you ever had one of those days? You know, the ones where you're running late and then you step in a puddle getting out of the car and then spill coffee on yourself. Then, because you're dumb, you tell your boss he's being a chauvinist right to his face. Oh, and when you think your in the clear, you realize you forgot your phone charger just as your cell dies."  
Jaded blinked. Probably the best to go with the safe answer. "Uh, yes?"

She sighed and Jaded tried to force himself not to notice how her long inhale made her breasts press against the fabric covering them, straining the buttons of her blouse. "Sorry, I didn't mean to dump on you. I'm sure you have bigger things to deal with."

The elevator came to a stop at the ground floor and Cindy stepped forward as the doors slid open.

"Have a good day!" She called as she stepped out, leaving him standing there in confusion.  
She was almost clear of the doors when the heel of her right shoe caught in the small gap between the elevator and the floor. With the buckle tightly cinched against her ankle, the shoe didn't budge, leaving her to topple forward with the momentum of her stride.

Jaded was out of the elevator in an instant, her startled gasp an echo in his ears as he raced forward to try to catch her before she hit the ground.

Her phone hit the ground and spun across the tiles, disappearing under a grouping of chairs against the far wall. The contents of her small purse spilled out, eyeliners, tampons and lip balm scattering on the floor.

Jaded's hands closed on her hips just as her palms hit the floor in an attempt to brace her fall. He managed to lessen her impact but she'd still ended up on the floor with him on one knee beside her.

"Are you all right?" He asked, letting go of her hips even as he leaned down to try and catch her eyes.

"Oww..." She groaned, slowly getting her hands beneath her and pushing up until she was sitting. Her skirt had bunched up, showing off a glorious amount of her pale thighs, and her high heels were still on but the stiletto heel of the right was dangling from the sole by a strip of silky black fabric.

She gazed down at herself and Jaded could scent the unhappiness coming off her before he caught the shimmer of tears in her eyes. She put a hand up to shield her eyes but he could still see the redness that swept across her cheeks and nose in reaction to her tears.

"Oh god, what a mess..." She gave a bitter laugh that sounded a lot like a choked sob and dropped her hand, looking around at her scattered belongings in a bid not to meet his eyes. She reached out and tugged her purse towards her, slowly gathering its lost contents.

"Cindy?" Jaded asked, wanting an answer to his question but hesitant to push too hard in her current state. He watched her jerky movements carefully as she collected her things and even reached out to snag a lip liner and a tampon off the floor beside him, offering them to her slowly.

"Thanks." She said wearily, taking them from his open palm and stuffing them in her purse. She took a steadying breath and looked up, not meeting his eyes but looking somewhere around the level of his chin. "Sorry about all this. I swear I'm fine but I really do appreciate you trying to catch me. I'm sure it could have been worse."

"It was no trouble." He assured her, standing and offering her a hand to help her up.

She took his hand and let him pull her up, wobbling when her weight transferred to right foot. The lack of heel on her shoe made her unbalanced and she hobbled carefully over to the chairs. With quick motions, she unbuckled the small clasp and slid the shoe off.

Jaded growled at the lines the strappy heels had imprinted into her skin and even more when he realized her slender ankle had started to swell. "You're not all right."

"It'll be fine. Oh, there you are!" She brushed him off, reaching down to grab her phone from beneath the seat.

His eyes narrowed as he watched her climb to her feet. She was steady until she settled her weight on the right.

Jaded didn't think about his actions.

Even as the hiss of pain was leaving her lips, he was catching her behind the shoulders and knees and swinging her into his arms. With her lean form cradled against his body he turned and headed for the buildings main door.

"Jaded! What the hell? Put me down!" She caught at his shoulders as if afraid he'd drop her even as she cried out her demands.

"Your ankle is injured. I'm taking you to Medical." He turned his back to push his way through the door and out into the sunshine. The ground was still wet from the mornings rain and he stuck to the sidewalk as he carried her over two buildings to Reservation's Medical facilities.

"But - but I'm...heavy." She protested, a blush stealing over her features. She ducked her head so her hair would hide her face from him.

Jaded stopped dead and looked down at the human woman in his arms. Did she seriously think she was heavy? A grin broke across his face and he tried to smother a laugh but it still vibrated through him.

Cindy looked up, lovely blue eyes narrowing on him. "Are you laughing at me?"

"No." He denied through a chuckle.

"Yeah. Right." She looked sour for a moment before a self-deprecating smile spread across her lips. "Okay, I guess that was silly."

"You think?" Jaded smirked at her and continued walking. "I spent years with nothing better to do than build my strength. I'm pretty sure a lifting a little thing like you won't strain me."

"I suppose you're right." She laughed softly. "I guess I just don't get carried around very much."

The laughter faded from his voice. "Stupid human males." He growled. He couldn't figure out why a man wouldn't take any opportunity he could to have this woman in his arms.

"Uh...yeah." Her own amusement faded but she didn't have a chance to say anything more as they walked through the automatic doors of Medical.

Paul peeked over the high front desk at them and stood. "What happened?"

"She injured her ankle." Jaded stated simply.

Paul came around and gestured at a gurney that rested against the wall. "Sit her down. I'll take a look."

Jaded gently sat her on the bed and stood to the side as Paul examined her ankle.

"It's sprained." Paul told them as he wrapped an ice pack in a cloth and wrapped it around her ankle. "I'll give you something for the pain but I recommend you stay off it for a day or so. Also, I would leave the heels in the closet for a week or so."

Cindy sighed and nodded. "Okay, will do."

Jaded hated the defeated look on her face as she took charge of keeping the ice pack in place as Paul went to get her painkillers. "I will talk to Miles for you, get you a few days off with pay."

"You don't have to do that." Cindy protested, looking up at him.

"I don't but I will." Jaded smiled, revealing his canines. "I'm also going to take you over to the cafeteria since I'm sure that you missed lunch and we will wait there until I can arrange you a safe drive home."

"Jaded, that's really not necessary."

He raised a dark brow and focused his green gaze on her pointedly. "It's time you had a little positive influence in your day. Now do you prefer cheese cake or ice cream for dessert?" He eyed her lean form and made the decision for her. "Never mind, you'll have both."

Cindy just stared at him, stunned, for a solid moment before a brilliant smile broke across her face. She giggled, her brown curls bouncing with her mirth. "Are you trying to fatten me up, Jaded? Planning on eating me?"

He smirked and told her the truth. "Maybe I am."


End file.
